World Poker Tour announces WPT Prime with 3 stops in Asia
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The World Poker Tour announced their new format WPT Prime this week. WPT Prime will be a new live tournament format with tournaments alongside the WPT Main Tour stops with affordable buy-ins. These are designed to be accessible to more players around the world and establish the WPT in more markets.
As with the Main Tour tournaments, WPT Prime will feature shot clock play, WPT titles to be won and tournament coverage from the WPT Digital Content Team. The WPT Prime Main Events will also count towards the WPT Player of the Year leaderboard, which awards $30,000 worth of prizes at the end of the year.
Cathy Zhao is WPT's Senior Director of Global Tour Management and explained WPT Prime: "Our continued efforts to improve the WPT live tournament experience will benefit more players than ever during Season XX. WPT Prime is the embodiment of our goal to provide the best possible poker tournament experience to players everywhere, and our strong relationships with our global partners will elevate the WPT experience around the world."
WPT DeepStacks becomes WPT Prime
The launch of WPT Prime marks the departure of the WPTDeepStacks brand, which was introduced in 2014 and will be officially phased out in mid-2022 following WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam, Sydney and Thunder Valley.
The WPT Prime series will begin in 2022 with three events in Asia, bolstering the upcoming live tournament calendar in one of the hottest markets in the poker industry. The first destinations are:
- Crown Poker Club (Vietnam)
- NagaWorld Integrated Resort (Cambodia)
- Chinese Texas Hold'em Poker Association (Taiwan)
Angelica Hael, VP of Global Tour Management at the WPT commented: "As we announce more of our Season XX events around the world after a tumultuous period, we are absolutely delighted to be back in Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan. Now that international borders are opening up, the incredible hospitality of Crown Poker Club, NagaWorld Integrated Resort and Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association will once again be on display for regional and global players."
Dates and plans
WPT Prime Vietnam
26 - 30 May
The first stop is Vietnam, where players will compete at the Crown Poker Club in Hanoi from 19 to 30 May. The series culminates in the 25,000,000 VND (1,100 USD) Main Event, a five-day tournament that runs from May 26-30.
WPT Prime Cambodia
11 - 23 August
The next event will take place in Cambodia, where the WPT, in partnership with Connaissance Management Group, will host a series of tournaments at the prestigious NagaWorld Integrated Resort in Phnom Penh from 11-23 August.
The series will conclude with the $1,100 USD buy-in Main Event from 18-22 August. The WPT previously hosted the largest live poker tournament in Cambodia in November 2019, with a prize pool of $727,500.
WPT Prime Taiwan
11 - 21 November
The third WPT Prime event in Asia will be held in Taiwan at the Chinese Texas Hold'em Poker Association in Taipei from 11-21 November. The Main Event, with a buy-in of TWD30,000 ($1,077 USD), will take place from November 17-21.
All dates are tentative and subject to countries being able to reopen their borders after the pandemic situation.
Further information
More WPT Prime events will be added to the Season XX schedule in the coming weeks and months. For more information, visit WPT.com.
